Meeting February 5th 2024

EDINGALE PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

Meeting of the Parish Council
held on Monday 5th February 2024
7.30 pm, at Edingale Village Hall

Members present:
Cllrs Baughen, Cliffe, Maskery, Mason (acting as Chair), Meikle and Sivieri.
Present: Clerk, Mrs Jones, one member of the public.
16/24 To receive and approve Apologies
Cllr Startin had apologised due to holidays and his apology was accepted.
17/24 To receive any Declarations of Interests No Declarations of Pecuniary Interests received.
18/24 To approve the draft Minutes of the Meeting of 8th January 2024 The draft Minutes were approved.
19/24 To adjourn, to hold the public session, to reconvene the meeting. No contributions from the public.
20/24 To receive the Clerk’s Report
Cllr email accounts – now in use.
Dropped kerb – request sent to Highways, to be chased up as no response.
Gullies – request for cleaning reported to Highways.
Severn Trent – request for pump upgrade sent, acknowledgment received.
Facebook page – set up for Parish Council information for residents.
Defibrillator – checked by Cllr Maskery at Village Hall.
Biodiversity – policy to be prepared.
Consultation – changes to County ward boundaries for Lichfield area.
Maintenance contract – renewed at same cost, contractor documentation received.

21/24 To consider any Planning matters (a) Application 24/00066/COU New Buildings Farm, Croxall Road – Conversion of existing outbuilding as 2 bedroom residential annexe. No objection.
(b) Information received on Lichfield District Council call for sites.
(c) South Derbyshire planning committee meeting on 6th February to discuss developer proposal to build Walton Bridge after 785 houses constructed rather than 400. Objection letter to be sent regarding the importance to local villages.
(d) No further information on Chetwynd Bridge.
22/24 To consider transfer of County Council land next to Village Hall field Correspondence between Cllr Mason and the Academy consultants was ongoing.
23/24 To consider correspondence on Social Progress Index Further comments on the Report had been sent to the District Council and an explanation received. The Parish Council would list the priorities and identify what needed to be done to improve the local area, and then communicate these to the District and County Councillors.
24/24 To consider entry to Best Kept Village Community Competition RESOLVED to enter the competition again this year. Cllr Meikle would lead this once again. He suggested linking to the Village Hall’s tidy up event, he would check the notice boards and would contact the school about children’s posters.
25/24 To consider tree replacement on Harlaston Road Cllr Mason had heard from CPRE with initial advice, at their suggestion he had contacted Lichfield’s Tree Officer regarding the TPOs and was awaiting their reply. An option for replacement planting could be the Woodland Trust’s community scheme which could be applied for to supply saplings in the autumn.
26/24 To consider a Community Flood Plan Following the last meeting when residents had mentioned flooded roads the Clerk had circulated government advice on Flood Plans. Initial suggestions were discussed. It was agreed that Highways should close and reopen roads promptly; they would be contacted about this and also be asked if gully cleaning could take place more often. Roadside depth measurements could be helpful. Good communication with villagers was essential and Facebook had worked well in recent flooding events. This issue would be reviewed quarterly.
27/24 To consider Festive Illuminations for 2024 RESOLVED to replace one set of lights, to obtain quotes for tree trimming on the island and to plant a rooted Christmas tree near to the school in the autumn.
28/24 To receive Councillors’ Reports. Cllr Cliffe referred to a deep pothole in Pessall Lane which had been reported several times but no action taken yet. She also commented on overgrown hedges and residents would be encouraged to trim these to keep footways clear. Cllr Baughen said that signs mentioned at the December meeting should now be removed. Cllr Meikle said that dog mess around the village was currently a real problem, most owners were responsible but some people did not clean up. Dog owners would be reminded about their responsibilities on the Facebook page. Cllr Sivieri said that Harlaston Road had been closed by Highways for 3 days but it was unclear what work had been done. He asked about the wall around the pump which had been repaired, a good job had been done apart from the left side which Cllr Mason said could not be repaired due to the state of the bank above it. Some potholes reported had been filled but others still remained to be done. Cllr Sivieri had received correspondence from a resident expressing concern about youths riding bikes down the bank from his garden land onto Croxall Road. They were at risk from passing traffic. Cllrs discussed the matter and agreed that the best solution would be to advise the resident to fence the area off. Cllr Mason would install the advisory 30 signs in Pessall Lane soon. He suggested that the contractor should be asked to clean the road signs and gates just before the Best Kept Village judging.
29/24 To receive Correspondence
Staffordshire Parish Councils Association weekly bulletins, staffing and training Staffordshire County Council, additional grass cut payment Village Hall Newsletter Community Grants availability, forwarded to Village Hall Committee Clifton Campville Parish Council, availability of allotment. Hedgehog highway project – next meeting
30/24 To receive a Financial Report
The bank reconciliation stood at £11,202.
RESOLVED to approve the report. See appendix 1.

31/234 To approve payments on the Payment Schedule.
Staff costs; salary, expenses, pension and PAYE, £426.97; SLCC membership £112;
J. Meikle, BKVC plaques, £129
EON, lighting, £42.85; Village Gardeners, flood debris clearance £25; CPRE membership £3
Payments since last meeting; M.Turkington, pump wall repair £450.

It was RESOLVED to approve the payments. Cllr Sivieri would authorise these.

Date of next meeting
Monday 4th March 2024, followed by April 8th
Meeting closed at 9.10 pm.

Appendix 1 Financial Report, February 2024
(a) Bank reconciliation

Bank Reconciliation Actual excl.transfers Current
Balance bf 9,995.92 Cooperative
less payments 29,132.60 23360.09 Community Acc.
Plus receipts 30,339.61 18813.10
Total 11,202.93 11,202.93

(b) Budget comparison

(c) Capital fund

Capital Funds
Cooperative Buckinghamshire Cambridge TOTAL CAPITAL
14 Day account Bond Council Saver
1.63% 5% 2.90%
10679.66 50921.50 0.00 61,601.16
closed Dec 23
Received interest
89.04
104.90
1218.51 128.60
67.07
193.94 1285.58 128.60

(d) Precept request – sent to Lichfield District Council